I have this blog as a place to share my creative self -- be it card making, music playing, scrapbooking, altered art, home decor, or whatever direction my art takes me. My dogs are always a part of my home life, so they have to be a part of my blog, too.

Pages

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Hello, and happy Thursday! It's time for some Thursday inspiration over on the Imagine That! digistamp blog. Since it's spring, and I recently saw my first robin, I thought I'd make a springtime-themed card to celebrate the occasion!Those of you keeping up on my chemo journey, I am done with chemo treatments. Woohoo! I got Influenza A with the last chemo treatment and it turned into pneumonia. A week later, I was out of the hospital. I am still recovering from that ordeal, but feel like I am finally among the living. Next week, another PET scan will (hopefully) show the cancer is truly in remission, and then it's gaining strength and I'm on my way! I'm off of work for a couple more months yet because my immune system has gotten so weak, but now that it's spring, I'm hoping to get back to walking and gaining strength quickly.Speaking of spring, I used the Leesa's Tulip digital stamp set to create this:

This set comes with 3 digital papers, and I used all three of them on this card. There are also some sentiments included with Leesa's Tulip, and I used one of them here. This is the pre-colored version of Leesa's Tulip.I used a Sizzix die to make this card, and a butterfly die from Hot Off the Press.Imagine That! Digistamp products used:

Did you join the monthly challenge in the Creative Playground? Each month, there's a great free set if you use an Imagine That! Digistamp image. A new challenge starts soon, so please join in the fun! There's a great Facebook group you need to check out, too. You'll find all the fun and information here.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Hello, happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! It's time for some mid-challenge inspiration over on the Path of Positivity Challenge blog. The optional theme this month is "Birth of New Beginnings", or use any positive theme you'd like. We have 2 guest sponsors this month: Limited Runs and Kitten Scraps. For the mid-month inspiration, I had the pleasure of designing with the Butterfly 6 digital stamp from Limited Runs. I used it to create this:

I played around a bit with this butterfly, flipping it a couple times and re-sizing it. Then, I sponged the background using the new Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks. I think it gives it a watercolor feel, but it's done strictly with inks. The background papers are from Close To My Heart, and the sentiment is, too. I thought the sentiment tied in nicely with the New Beginnings theme. A day full of possibilities is a day full of new beginnings. Spring is full of new beginnings. That's why I like butterflies so much. They are a sign of new life for me. I hope you have a chance to link up with us at the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog. Our sponsors are offering great prizes, it's a fun theme, and I'd love to see what you create! You have until April 2.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Hello, crafty friends! Happy Tuesday! I am sharing on the MHKDesigns blog today. I have a card that I really, really like! I want to show you how it turned out:

I created this card using the MHKDesigns Beauty Digital Stamp Set. Aren't those delicate flowers exquisite?I colored the flower from the MHKDesigns Beauty digital set with Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Pencils. I printed my image on smooth card stock, so I wanted a very creamy based pencil. The sentiment is also from the MHKDesigns Beauty set. Papers for this card, also from MHKDesigns, are the new Rosy Posy digital paper set. They are a little touch of Springtime!The card was created using some cutting dies from Craftin' Desert Divas and Paper Wishes (sentiment die). The pearl bling was from my stash, and the ribbon is from 3 Girl JAM. I used a We R Memory Keepers scallop corner chomper on this card also.

Have you entered this month's MHKDesigns challenge yet? It's Anything Goes if you use an MHKDesigns image. Pick out your favorite, make a project, and link up with us! We have great prizes and I'd love to see what you make! Make sure to visit the MHKDesigns blog often for great inspiration from Mynn and her talented design team and guest designers! Don't forget about the MHKDesigners & Friends Facebook Group for even more inspiration, news, and friendship. Then, there is the MHKDesign newsletter. Sign up for it, also! You won't want to miss the discounts!

It's Tuesday, and it's time for a new challenge on the Crafty Sentiments Designs challenge blog. This week's theme is quite easy -- use any shape. Any shape! See? Easy!I have been needing many thank you cards. People have been so incredibly good to my husband and I throughout my chemo treatments. I try to keep up with homemade thank you cards, but when I'm not feeling good, it's been a bit of a challenge. I made this one to give to someone very special:

I used the Crafty Sentiments Designs rubber stamp, Love's Basket. I colored Love's Basket with Copic markers, then used 2 different sizes of circle dies from Lifestyle Crafts to cut it out and back it. The heart-shaped card (to enter the 'any shape' challenge) was cut out on my Silhouette Cameo with a file I found in the Silhouette Design Store. The sentiment and all papers on this card are from Close To My Heart. The flowers and bling are part of a card kit from Spellbinders. Come join the 'Any Shape' challenge this week at Crafty Sentiments Designs. We've got great prizes, and I'd love to see what you make!

Most of this is pre-printed. I used a few touches of Copic markers to emphasize some colors. It was great fun to create with the many components in the Kitten Scraps Spring Blooms Bundle. I hope you join in on our "Birth of New Beginnings" challenge over on the Path of Positivity challenge blog this month. The challenge runs April 2.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Woohoo, hoo! Today is a big, big day! Today is my final round of chemotherapy. Six of six! It is cause for celebration! I have learned many things through these months of chemo, including how blessed I am to have so many very dear friends to help me through this. In honor of those friends, I am posting this card on my blog today. It is a current freebie from Imagine That! Digistamp:

How true is this saying?!? I think it's perfect for anytime of year, but especially near St. Patrick's day.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

It's March 1, and time for a new challenge over on the 12 Months of Christmas Link Up. This challenge is such a good way to get some Christmas cards made, working on them a bit at a time, instead of in a panic later in the year!This month, the optional theme is Christmas Angels. Use an angel on your card to be eligible to win the prize from our guest sponsor this month, A Day For Daisies. The prize is a $12 gift certificate! I used Fairy Dog 3 from A Day for Daisies to create this angel-themed card:

I colored Fairy Dog 3 with Copic markers, using dies from Die-namis to cut it out and back it. Papers on this card are from another challenge sponsor, Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. Link up 2 Christmas cards this month to be eligible to win one of the papers from this month's Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Angelic Nature set. The red textured paper, also from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, is from the Holiday Hoopla Patterned Paper #2 set. The sentiment on this card is from Lawn Fawn. The gold shimmer trim is from Close To My Heart. I hope you are inspired to make a Christmas card (or 2) this month and join us at the 12 Months of Christmas Link Up. We have great prizes, and I'd love to see what you make!

It's March 1. Tomorrow is my LAST chemotherapy! Six of six! It will be so good to get it behind me. Then, I have to get through the next 10 rough days of side effects and low white blood count. After that, I'll be on my way to recovery and living life to it's fullest again!!!!It's March 1st. That also means it's the start of a new challenge on the MHKDesigns challenge blog. The challenges are always Anything Goes if you use an MHKDesigns image. There's also an inspiration picture/board if you choose to use it, or if you don't use MHKDesigns products.I kept my card very simple this time, letting my Silhouette Cameo do the majority of the work. Coloring is getting difficult. I have quite a bit of neuropathy in my fingers and feet from the chemo. I am hoping this is temporary, but time will tell. In the meantime, I am finding ways to create without much coloring. This card is an example of that: